Original researchPregnancy-related mortality in the United States, 1991–1997
Section snippets
Materials and methods
The Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System was designed to collect data on all deaths causally related to pregnancy. Health departments in the 50 states and the District of Columbia are asked to provide deidentified copies of death certificates for all pregnancy-related deaths. For those deaths after a live birth or stillbirth, the matching birth or fetal death certificates are also requested. State maternal mortality review committees, the media, and individuals report some cases not
Results
For the years 1991 through 1997, the Division of Reproductive Health received a total of 5346 death certificates from state health departments. Of these, 3201 were pregnancy-related deaths (ie, they occurred during or within 1 year of pregnancy and were causally related to pregnancy). There were 1959 reported deaths that occurred during or within 1 year of pregnancy but were not caused by pregnancy complications (ie, not pregnancy related), 76 reported deaths that occurred more than 1 year
Discussion
From a low of 7.2 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1987,8 the pregnancy-related mortality ratio reported by the Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System increased to 12.9 in 1997. In the time period 1991–1997, over two-thirds of pregnancy-related deaths (and probably close to 80%) occurred after a live birth. Black women continued to have an increased risk of pregnancy-related death, almost four times greater than that of white women, as did women 35 years of age and greater and women who
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